Umbrella structure having at least one mushroom-shaped hub for enabling rapid assembly of main rod and supporting members

ABSTRACT

The present invention is to provide an umbrella structure including at least one mushroom-shaped hub, a plurality of supporting members, and a main rod. Each mushroom-shaped hub has a hollow tubular body, two openings at two opposite ends respectively, and a cap portion located near a first opening and formed with a plurality of evenly distributed grooves which extend in the radial direction of the first opening. The supporting member has one end whose diameter is less than the diameter of the first opening but greater than the width of each groove and which therefore can pass through the first opening and be received in the cap portion. Thus, when the main rod penetrates the two openings, the end of each supporting member can be limited in position in the cap portion, and the remaining portion thereof can extend out of the cap portion and move along the groove accordingly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an umbrella structure, more particularly to hubs 1A, 2A, 3A of a conventional umbrella (as shown in FIG. 1) for connecting supporting members 5A, 6A, 7A to main rod 9A of the conventional umbrella respectively. As referring to FIG. 2, the present invention utilizes a brand-new mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 to replace the conventional hub 1A, 2A, 3A. Each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 is configured to accommodate and limit one end of a supporting member 5, 6, 7 therein and allow the remaining portion of the supporting member 5, 6, 7 to extend out of the mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 when a main rod 9 penetrates two opposite openings of the mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3, so as to rapidly assemble the umbrella and effectively reduce the production cost of the umbrella.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional umbrella has hubs 1A, 2A, 3A for connecting the supporting members 5A, 6A, 7A to the main rod 9A respectively. Each of the hubs 1A, 2A, 3A is connected to the corresponding supporting members by passing a metal wire through one of the through holes on the hub and the through hole at one end of each of the corresponding supporting members and then tying the ends of each metal wire, which is both labor-intensive and time-consuming. Moreover, once the umbrella has been opened and closed for a good number of times, the metal wires or the through hole at one end of each supporting member 5A, 6A, 7A is very likely to break or be damaged, thus preventing normal operation of the umbrella or causing great inconvenience in use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the labor-intensive and time-consuming assembly process of the conventional umbrellas and their vulnerability to damage, the inventor of the present invention conducted extensive research, made constant improvements, and finally succeeded in developing an umbrella structure with at least one mushroom-shaped hub to enable rapid assembly of the main rod and the supporting members of the umbrella structure. It is hoped that the novel structural design disclosed herein can solve the aforementioned problems effectively.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an umbrella structure as shown in FIG. 2. The umbrella structure includes at least one mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3; a plurality of supporting members 5, 6, 7; and a main rod 9. Each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 has a hollow tubular body and has a first opening and a second opening at two opposite ends respectively, wherein the first and the second openings communicate with each other. Each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 has a cap portion located near the first opening and bulging in the radial direction of the tubular body. The cap portion of each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 is formed with a plurality of evenly distributed grooves which extend in the radial direction of the first opening. Each of the supporting members 5, 6, 7 has one end whose diameter is less than the diameter of the first opening of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 but greater than the width of each groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 and which therefore can pass through the first opening of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 and be received in the cap portion of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3. The remaining portion of each supporting member 5, 6, 7, on the other hand, can pass through the corresponding groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 and extend out of the cap portion of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3. The main rod 9 penetrates the first and the second openings of each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 such that not only is the aforesaid end of each supporting member 5, 6, 7 limited in position in the cap portion of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3, but also the portion of each supporting member 5, 6, 7 that is adjacent to the aforesaid end can move only in the corresponding groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the foregoing umbrella structure, wherein the aforesaid end of each supporting member 5, 6, 7 is spherical.

The joint-type connection, and the way of movement, between each supporting member 5, 6, 7 and the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 enable rapid assembly and help reduce the production cost of the umbrella effectively. In addition, the novel umbrella structure disclosed herein is sturdy, durable, and capable of smooth joint movements. Thus, the drawbacks of the conventional umbrellas, i.e., the labor-intensive and time-consuming assembly process of passing a metal wire through each supporting member 5A, 6A, 7A and the corresponding hub 1A, 2A, 3A and tying the ends of each metal wire and the vulnerability of breakage of the metal wires, are effectively overcome.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects, and advantages of the present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional umbrella;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the present invention;

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) are respectively a top view and a sectional view of the mushroom-shaped hub 2 in the present invention;

FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b) are respectively a top view and a sectional view of each of the supporting members 5, 6 in the present invention;

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) are respectively a top view and a sectional view of the mushroom-shaped hub 1 in the present invention;

FIGS. 6( a), 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b) are respectively a top view and a sectional view of the spring 8 and of the plastic sleeve 10 in the present invention;

FIGS. 8( a) and 8(b) are respectively a top view and a sectional view of the mushroom-shaped hub 3 in the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 2, the present invention provides an umbrella structure having mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 2, 3 to enable rapid assembly of the main rod 9 and the supporting members 5, 6, 7. The umbrella structure includes at least one mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3; a plurality of supporting members 5, 6, 7; and a main rod 9. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 2, there are three mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 2, 3. In practice, however, the number of the at least one mushroom-shaped hub is not limited to three.

Please refer to FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) for a top view and a sectional view of the mushroom-shaped hub 2 respectively. The mushroom-shaped hub 2 has a hollow tubular body and has a first opening 21 and a second opening 22 at two opposite ends respectively, wherein the two openings 21, 22 are in communication with each other. The mushroom-shaped hub 2 has a cap portion 23 located adjacent to the first opening 21 and bulging in the radial direction of the tubular body. Also, the cap portion 23 is formed with a plurality of grooves 24 which are evenly distributed and extend along the radial direction of the first opening 21.

FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b) show a top view and a sectional view of two supporting members 5, 6 respectively. Regardless of the methods by which they are made, the supporting members 5, 6 each have an end shaped like a sphere 51, 61. Take the supporting members 6 for example. The connection between the supporting members 6 and the mushroom-shaped hub 2 is detailed below with reference to FIG. 2. The diameter of the sphere 61 is less than the diameter of the first opening 21 but greater than the width of each groove 24. As such, the sphere 61 at one end of each supporting member 6 can pass through the first opening 21 and be received in the cap portion 23. Meanwhile, the remaining portion of each supporting member 6 can pass through the corresponding groove 24 and extend out of the cap portion 23. With the main rod 9 passing through the first and the second openings 21, 22, the sphere 61 at one end of each supporting member 6 is limited in position in the cap portion 23, and the portion of each supporting member 6 that is adjacent to the sphere 61 is movable only in the corresponding groove 24. However, implementation of the present invention is by no means limited to the foregoing. The aforesaid end of each supporting member is not necessarily formed as a sphere, provided that the aforesaid end of each supporting member has a diameter not only less than the diameter of the first opening of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub, but also greater than the width of each groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub, so as for the aforesaid end of each supporting member to pass through the corresponding first opening, be received in the corresponding cap portion, and, once the main rod 9 passes through the first and the second openings of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub, be limited in position in the corresponding cap portion.

The mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 3 are shown in FIGS. 5( a), 5(b), 8(a), and 8(b) in top views and sectional views respectively. As the mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 3 have the same basic structure as shown in FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b), a detailed description of the structures of the mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 3 is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein FIGS. 6( a) and 6(b) are a top view and a sectional view of a spring 8 respectively, and FIGS. 7( a) and 7(b) are a top view and a sectional view of a plastic sleeve 10 respectively.

To assemble the umbrella structure of the present invention, referring to FIGS. 2 to 9, the sphere 51, 61, 71 at one end of each supporting member 5, 6, 7 is put into the corresponding cap portion 13, 23, 33 via the first opening 11, 21, 31, wherein the diameter of each sphere 51, 61, 71 is slightly greater than the diameter of the corresponding supporting member 5, 6, 7. The remaining portion of each supporting member 5, 6, 7 is allowed to pass through the corresponding groove 14, 24, 34 and extend out of the corresponding cap portion 13, 23, 33. Then, the main rod 9 is inserted into the central hole of each mushroom-shaped hub 1, 2, 3 in such a way that the plastic sleeve 10 and a steel sleeve 4 are mounted around the main rod 9 and positioned between the mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 2, 3 and the spring 8 is mounted around the main rod 9 and positioned between the two mushroom-shaped hubs 2, 3. Following that, the mushroom-shaped hub 1 is adjusted in position along the main rod 9 until the mushroom-shaped hub 1 is adjacent to the tip of the main rod 9. The mushroom-shaped hub 1 is then fixed to the main rod 9 by punching, such that the other two mushroom-shaped hubs 2, 3 are movably positioned on the main rod 9. Thus, assembly of the supporting members 5, 6, 7 and the main rod 9 is completed. The joint-type connection, and the way of movement, between the supporting members 5, 6, 7 and the corresponding mushroom-shaped hubs 1, 2, 3 not only enable rapid assembly to effectively lower the production cost and produce a novel, sturdy, and durable umbrella structure, but also allow smooth joint movements. Thus, the various problems resulting from passing a metal wire through each supporting member 5A, 6A, 7A and the corresponding hub 1A, 2A, 3A of the conventional umbrella and tying the ends of each metal wire are effectively solved, and the goal to facilitate assembly, reduce costs, and provide a strong umbrella structure is achieved.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An umbrella structure having at least one mushroom-shaped hub for enabling rapid assembly of a main rod and supporting members, comprising: at least one mushroom-shaped hub having a hollow tubular body, wherein each said mushroom-shaped hub has two ends respectively formed with a first opening and a second opening, the first and second openings of each said mushroom-shaped hub are in communication with each other, and each said mushroom-shaped hub has a cap portion which is adjacent to the first opening thereof, bulges in a radial direction of the tubular body thereof, and is formed with a plurality of evenly distributed grooves extending in a radial direction of the first opening thereof; a plurality of supporting members each having an end whose diameter is less than a diameter of the first opening of a corresponding said mushroom-shaped hub but is greater than a width of each said groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub, such that the end of each said supporting member can pass through the first opening of a corresponding mushroom-shaped hub and be received in the cap portion of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub while a remaining portion of the each said supporting member passes through a corresponding said groove of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub and extends out of the cap portion of the corresponding mushroom-shaped hub; and a main rod extending through the first and second openings of each said mushroom-shaped hub such that not only the end of each said supporting member is limited in position in the cap portion of a corresponding said mushroom-shaped hub, but also a portion of each said supporting member that is adjacent to the end thereof is movable only in a corresponding said groove of a corresponding said mushroom-shaped hub.
 2. The umbrella structure of claim 1, wherein the end of each said supporting member is spherical.
 3. The umbrella structure of claim 2, comprising three said mushroom-shaped hubs, wherein one of the mushroom-shaped hubs is mounted around and fixed to a tip of the main rod, and the other two mushroom-shaped hubs are movably mounted around the main rod.
 4. The umbrella structure of claim 3, further comprising a spring movably mounted around the main rod and located between the two movable mushroom-shaped hubs.
 5. The umbrella structure of claim 4, further comprising a plastic sleeve mounted around the main rod and located between the fixed mushroom-shaped hub and an adjacent one of the movably mounted mushroom-shaped hubs. 